Merilin Castillo

Merilin Castillo

My photo, taken at W. Broadway and C shows the ways in which South Boston is shifting as a neighborhood. We see a sign for Al’s Liquors directly facing the sign for Foodie Market. In an almost spatial rivalry, the two exist and share this intersection in an eerie battle between present and perhaps, past. My map, on the other hand, was my attempt to understand the ways in which actual rent was changing. One of the biggest markers of gentrification is the change in property value where rent rises and poorer residents are pushed out; I wanted to see what South Boston’s rent looked like when mapped out. I was familiar with the housing developments on the corner of West Broadway and B Street, but I was not aware of the enormous amount of construction and corporate development work also going on in the neighborhood. I thought to map the Median Gross Rents, in an effort to demonstrate the ways in which South Boston is becoming less of a highly low-income neighborhood and trying to attract young, wealthier, professionals. Although the newly built, and developing condominiums are not reflected in this map, I think this data tells us a lot about where Southie housing has been and where it will go. I suspect that the new apartments being built across the street from the West Broadway Housing Development- once completed- will highly alter this data.